Features

Two and a half years ago when Debbie and Wayne Dickson married, they began finding ways to blend the belongings each had accumulated over the years. Both having been married previously and lost their spouses after many years of marriage, they each had a house filled with furniture as well as yards full of plants that had special meanings. Debbie’s house was in Chesterfield and Wayne’s home was in Lancaster.

The Rev. Harriss Ricks, pastor at Douglas Presbyterian Church, is a good friend of mine – and everyone else, for that matter. He has a very nice family home just off Lousiana Street in Montreat, N.C. He invited all of his friends and church members to go up to Montreat for a day on June 11.

Calling all churches and nonprofit community organizations – you are invited to participate in the first Lancaster Community Gospel-Fest, a two-day festival set to take place Aug. 9 and 10 at the Hope on the Hill facilities, located at 610 Old Barr St. in Lancaster.

The Gospel-Fest Event promotion manager and founder, Ollie Alexander, has organized several expos and events in the past.
The focus of this festival is unity and the strengthening of local families and the community as a whole, she said.

Psychologists have long delved into people’s memories trying to identify early events that influenced later behavior or choices.

I clearly remember attending a birthday party when I was four years old.

Several games were played and when I won one, the prize was a very small pocket-sized book about trees. All of the pictures were in full color and I spent hours turning the pages, amazed to see flowering trees.

My favorite was one with big white flowers that I now realize was a Southern Magnolia.

Bertha Harris of Catawba will turn 100 years old on Saturday, June 29. On her birthday, devoted family members and loving friends and neighbors from her church community will gather for a day of celebration in her honor from 10 a.m. to noon at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1989 Reservation Road, Rock Hill. The public is invited to attend the gathering.

Michele Roberts
For The Lancaster News
Carolina Christian Academy celebrated the graduation of 19 kindergarten students in a ceremony held on Tuesday, May 28.
The students were taught by K-5 teacher Cassy Pittman, who said she couldn’t be prouder of the tiny graduates.

A recent email from an old friend reminded me of a trip I took in the summer of 1991. It was a pilgrimage to see the oldest trees on Earth.

That journey required flying across the continent and then traveling winding, steep, scary roads high into the White Mountains of California’s Eastern Sierras. Finally reaching the part of Inyo National Forest known as the Ancient Bristlecone Forest was like arriving on a moonscape.

As a part of Lancaster County for more than 60 years, the Lancaster Soil and Water Conservation District wants to remind the community that everyone has a connection to natural resources. The National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) celebrated the 58th year of Stewardship Week April 28-May 5. The 2013 Stewardship Week was themed “Where Does Your Water Shed?”

Nancy Parsons
Landmark News Service
GREAT FALLS – Two years ago, a piece of history was uncovered in Great Falls.
“Stoney Lonesome,” the old town jail, was unearthed. But now the brick building sits abandoned with weeds and bushes growing up around it.
Great Falls Mayor Don Camp says he has not abandoned the historical project. He said the weather has prevented plans to spruce up the area and make the piece of history a place people would want to visit.

From simple wooden boxes to complex systems made for an entire flock of birds, birdhouses come in all shapes and sizes.
However, one Lancaster resident has turned them into works of art.

John R. “Cornbread” Collins Jr., 75, started building regular birdhouses back in 2004, after retiring as a truck driver in 2001.
Collins said he sold about 1,200 of the birdhouses in one year, mainly on eBay, but also out of the back of his truck.

David Poston, who lives in Rock Hill, saw the birdhouses and ordered 150 of them, Collins said.

A retired Baptist minister, Fox has stepped down as a bus driver for Indian Land schools, where for a decade he greeted each child by name, sent them birthday and Christmas cards and encouraged them to do their best.

“I love relating to the students more than driving the bus,” said Fox, 73, a Van Wyck native. “If kids were having trouble with a lesson, I would help them with it. I tried to teach them politeness, manners and how to treat others.”

Every year since 1963, May has been the month to appreciate and celebrate the vitality and aspirations of older adults and their contributions and achievements.

It is a proud tradition that shows our nation’s commitment to honor the value that elders continue to contribute to our communities.
This year, the theme of Older Americans Month is “Unleash the Power of Age!,” which emphasizes the important role of older adults. This May, communities across the nation will recognize older Americans as productive, active and influential members of society.

Every year, the Palmetto Poison Center receives thousands of calls from South Carolinians regarding their medications. Many of these callers are elderly persons who have questions about their prescriptions or recommended dosages. This specific sector of our population is oftentimes prone to uncertainty, which can stem from a number of sources, including loss of memory or confusion resulting from a large volume of prescribed medications.

South Carolina residents are encouraged to cast their vote for the state’s Outstanding Senior Volunteer.

The recognition is part of the Salute to Senior Service program, sponsored by Home Instead Inc., the franchisor of the Home Instead Senior Care network. The program honors the contributions of adults 65 and older who give at least 15 hours a month of volunteer service to their favorite causes.

Individuals with arthritis are often stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Doctors want people to exercise to keep up the range of motion in affected joints. However, even some limited movements can cause pain and suffering to those with arthritis. Furthermore, individuals with arthritis may shy away from the activities they once enjoyed because the pain is simply too overwhelming.